http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_TechCell.cfm The Roll Forming tech cell is packed with specific links to help you find product information, suppliers, technical articles, case studies, seminars and conferences, as well as books, software, and videos on metal fabricating-related topics. en-us http://www.thefabricator.com/RSS/images/thefabricator_rss.gif http://www.thefabricator.com Copyright 2007 FMA Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. official publication date Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:16:03 AM CDT Vicki Bell Laurie Harshbarger http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1604 When a bend is formed with the air bending process (air bend), the interior of the bending corner can't be reached by either the top roll or the bottom roll, making it difficult to control the part's profile and dimensions. Figure 1 illustrates a typical air bend. The theoretical formed profile is the desired profile. The actual formed profile is the finished part, which was distorted because the top roll couldn't reach the interior corner to hold it in position. The bottom roll flan... Hanhui Li Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1596 In recent years the metal building industries have grown substantially. According to the Metal Roofing Alliance, the residential metal roofing market doubled its market share from 3 percent to 6 percent in five years. To take advantage of this growth, more fabricators are increasing the versatility of their manufacturing capabilities by adding to or expanding the metal building products they offer. Besides the more commonly produced metal studs, fabricators have been adding metal ro... Paul Williams Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1532 Figure 1 Plug-and-play electrics help simplify installation of a roll forming line and allow you to relocate the equipment easily when needed. As a young boy in 1965 I visited a car dealership with my father. I was amazed by some of the incredible innovations that had been added to vehicles. For instance, an AM/FM radio, electrically powered windows, and an automatic transmission were available in the Ford Galaxy 500 soon to be delivered to our driveway. However, those features... Jeff Carson Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1509 Laser welding is ideally suited for roll forming because it is fast, does not require a filler metal, and causes little part distortion because the laser beam’s narrow focus produces a very small heat-affected zone (HAZ). Editor’s Note: This is the first article of a two-part series discussing various welding processes that can be integrated with roll forming and their optimal applications. Part I discusses the fusion welding processes, including laser welding. Part... Bill Schubert Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1452 The 60-ft.-dia. hybrid frame—made of a plate steel skeleton and light-gauge steel ribs—converges from a platerolled base to an 8-ft. dia. plate steel compression ring in the dome’s apex. Architecture firm Williams/O'Brien Associates Inc., Minneapolis, was pleased to be awarded a challenging project—building the Catholic Church of St. Michael, St. Michaels, Minn. The lofty plans called for a 60-foot-diameter dome in the center of the Byzantine-style church an... Kate Bachman, Associate Editor Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1386 Roll forming using spring-loaded top rolls, in which the top rolls are not held perfectly rigid, is a practical and economical option for many applications. Spring-loaded top rolls have advantages and pitfalls depending on their use, but a well-designed spring-loaded machine will give good service for many years, be forgiving to minor changes in material thickness, and be less likely to be damaged if blanks are accidentally misfed. This type of arrangement allows the machine to compe... Rick Blum, Contributing Writer Tue, 11 Jul 2006 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1341 Photo courtesy of Follansbee Steel, Follansbee, W.V., and the Metal Roofing Alliance. The metal roofing industry has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Builders expect better-quality parts, quicker lead-times, and lower prices. Prepainted material has mostly replaced postpainting of purlins, and galvanized material is being used more often, especially in coastal environments and agribusiness applications. High-strength steel is being increasingly specified. Punching requir... Scott Tompson Tue, 09 May 2006 12:00:00 AM CDT http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1213 End distortion is a birthmark caused by the roll forming process. Roll forming—a process in which a flat strip is bent continuously and progressively in the transverse direction by tandem sets of roll tooling—induces residual stresses in compression on the inner surface, residual stresses in tension on the outer surface, and residual moments in the cross section. Cutting the formed part releases the residual stresses and moments, which can result in distortion at both ends of ... Hanhui Li Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1207 In roll forming, nonstop punching and shear systems typically deliver the highest output. Although these systems traditionally have employed open-loop control methods, closed-loop (also called servo-based) systems can yield high line speeds while helping to decrease downtime and reduce scrap. Coil-fed roll forming systems require a measuring system to size the parts and activate the cutoff press at the exit end of the machine (see lead image). Certainly, in some situations, it is better... Richard Allman Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:00:00 AM CST http://www.thefabricator.com/RollForming/RollForming_Article.cfm?ID=1060 Fig. 1 shows elevation of the entrance guide affects the sectional curvature. Fig. 2 shows an Edge Bent Down Model. In a roll forming line, the entrance guide serves to guide the metal strip into the roll former at the optimum angle and elevation. To achieve the correct feeding angle, the entrance guide should be parallel to the metal forming direction. Any horizontal rotation will push the strip off-center horizontally. The correct elevation can eliminate additional stress and st... Hanhui Li and Kuang-Xu Li Tue, 08 Mar 2005 12:00:00 AM CST